... of Catfish and finishing his cabin. Later in August, Silas House came to Oxford for a book signing and took the opportunity to visit with Brown. In early October, Brown took another major break from writing when his daughter, LeAnne, married James Bradley Bonds. Mary Annie went to great lengths...

... from his home town of Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner is also known for his aversion to personal exploitation and publicity. The chapter discusses Sanctuary, Faulkner's most widely read novel that propelled him from obscurity into fame and notoriety. It also comments on legends that have...

...In this chapter, the author reflects on William Faulkner's influence on her and on other Southern writers. The author says it would be impossible to think of Oxford, Mississippi without thinking of Faulkner, its most famous citizen. She recalls growing up in Carrollton, but admits that it took her...

... pursued every activity in his life with incredible determination. Writing provided a positive outlet for this sometimes troubled man. When not writing, he sought relief from his depression in Oxford, where he frequently partied with his many friends. With the publication of Facing the Music...

..., an Oxford artist whom Brown had met earlier, attended the public reading. Tutor believed that Brown pursued their friendship because he wanted someone from a similar background with whom he could discuss the nature of artistic expression. The connection between the two men was not merely artistic but also...

...This chapter discusses the beginning of 1999 when Larry Brown received another honor—a poll conducted by Oxford Town named him favorite local writer. In the same poll, “Merry Christmas, Scotty” tied for favorite signing/reading. His next triumph came in March when he was announced...

... Miss when James H. Meredith, after seven years in the military, attempted to enroll in the all-white institution. This chapter looks at the so-called Battle of Oxford, the Kennedy administration’s celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation centennial in February 1963, the murder of Medgar Evers...

...?” and added, “It must be diffilt to write in Oxford.” When Grisham asked why, the woman answered, “Well, you know, the Faulkner thing.” According to Grisham, it was the first time he heard “the Faulkner thing.” The reporter also asked him, “But what about the legend, the aura, the magic of Faulkner? I read...

... Clinton. He and the Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez were guests. When Clinton asked each one of them what their favorite novel was, the author mentioned Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom!. Clinton went on to narrate his visit to Faulkner's house in Oxford while he was a teen...

...This chapter tells the story of how the author Maryemma Graham crossed paths with Margaret Walker, the poet and novelist. Graham had gone to Jackson, Mississippi, to visit Walker when she first arrived at the state’s flagship institution in Oxford. It was her gesture as a young, admiring scholar...

...This chapter discusses Larry Brown’s decision to leave the Oxford Fire Department, encouraged by the success of Dirty Work. Brown calculated that he needed only about twenty thousand dollars to support his family in the immediate future; he felt that with the help of “a publisher...

...This chapter describes events in Gray’a life 1957–62. These include his move for Oxford with his family; Gray’ s new parish; the death of Nobel prize-winning author William Faulkner in July 1962 and his family’s request that Gray perform the funeral; riots at the University of Mississippi...

...This chapter describes events in Gray’s life from 1963 to 1965. These include Gray’s receipt of letters either attacking or praising his views against racism; the opposition within his congregation; the continued racial tension in the larger Oxford community; and the passage of the 1964 Civil...

... into a microcosm not only of the South but also of the human race. More than any other major American novelist, with the possible exception of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Faulkner stayed close to home. Despite his later sojourns in Hollywood and in Charlottesville, Virginia, his physical and emotional fidelity to Oxford...